Demon Star: War and Death
by Pamela Eaton
Summary: The path to hell is paved in good intentions, and Dorothy ends up triggering a war she had intended to pervent. This fic also features an alternate pairing (D+2, 2+D). Warning: Character death. And likely more to come.
1. Part 1

Title - Demon Star: War and Death  
  
Author - Pamela Eaton  
  
Email Address - peaton@mail.orion.org  
  
Summary - Working with Relena well after the war, Dorothy is helping track  
down and destroy any remaining weaponry that is still around from  
Romafellers days in power, though she has her own aggenda for helping out  
that is unknown to Relena. This brings her to a certain "junk yard" that a  
Gundam pilot works at... the rest... well, read and find out.  
  
Spoilers - Um... The series and Endless Waltz, as well as a little of Duo's  
past most likely.  
  
Disclaimer - You know 'em, I don't own 'em. Wish I had come up with the  
Gundam concept. And I certainly wouldn't mind having cute little pilots in  
my possession. *_* This is 'a non-profit thing'. I'm doing it for fun.  
  
Distribution - You want it, take it, just give me credit and email me so I  
know where it is.  
  
Warnings -  
  
Duo/Hilde fanatics may wish to avoid this fic. I like that pairing myself,  
so don't think just because I wrote this that I'm making a personal stab at  
all of you. I try to be extremely gentle in it.  
  
Also, if you hate Dorothy, you may want to avoid this, though my version of  
Dorothy may interest some, so don't write it off unless you're dead set on  
it.   
  
Shounen-ai hints of a 4+3 angle. (That can be completely removed from  
the story and no one would notice.)  
  
I'm just putting these warnings to avoid flames. I'm a first time GW fanfic  
writer, and my flame shield isn't lined with Gundamium yet.  
  
Classifications - Adventure, Action, Romance, Dark Angst (barely). Some sexual  
content, though it will be implied or faded.   
  
Rating - PG-13 - Mainly for violence and swearing.  
  
Focus Couple - 2xDorothy (scary, ne?)  
  
  
Authors Intent -  
  
Just a real quick note on my intent by writing this. It wasn't to knock  
current favorite couples, or to piss people off. I'm writing this for  
myself. This is one couple I've wanted to see for a while, but the only  
times I could find this couple together... well they weren't bad, but they  
were never focused on seriously (as in not including humor, or  
character-bashing fics) so far as I know. There are hundreds of 1xR,  
2xHilde, and 1x2 and 3x4 and other fics out there, so I wanted to do   
something unique. So this is the result.  
  
Takes place two years after Endless Waltz, though note that I haven't seen  
any of it except the end. Expect spoilers though for those who haven't seen  
any.  
  
Also, I like to switch POVs, but mainly it will stick to Dorothy and Duo,  
though I may have Hilde, Quatre, or Trowa have a go every so often.  
  
This story is mainly Action/Adventure and plot, and the Romance part will  
have a slow time forming. I may follow this up with some short pieces  
following the same basic story line.  
  
Last Note - The title. The last part is pretty obvious. Dorothy loves War,  
Duo thinks of himself as Death. The Demon Star bit comes from the nickname  
of a star (Algol) in the Constellation Perseus, which is also representave  
of the head of Medusa (which Perseus is supposed to be holding). It is an  
eclipsing binary (which means it is actually two stars revolving around  
each other). The brightest star is three times the diameter of our sun, the  
dimmer is even larger. As they revolve, the dim star eclipses the bright  
star once every three days.  
  
Now! Onto the fic!  
  
=========================================================  
  
My name is Dorothy Catalonia. The year is After Colony 205. It's been ten  
years since the war for the colonies. Ten years since Treize-sama and my  
grandfather joined my parents in the afterlife. Ten years since I faced the  
Gundam pilots in battle. And ten years since I first heard the name and saw  
the face of the only person I've ever completely trusted.  
  
I had loved men before him. Treize-sama, who was like an older brother to  
me, someone I idolized as a child. I would have done anything for him back  
then. I still would give anything to see him alive again. Except maybe two  
things. But I'm getting ahead of myself.  
  
I also loved Milliardo-sama, though not in the same way. You could probably  
say he was my first crush.  
  
Needless to say, he wasn't my first love, and in no way was it love at  
first-sight. Or second or third for that matter. Though he changed me a  
lot, and I changed him. Though the way we effected each other was unique  
between us. My life would be empty without him. I would like to think he  
feels the same.  
  
*****  
  
A.C 198  
  
The artificial light and refined oxygen made Dorothy Catalonia wish that  
she were back on Earth. She never did care much for the Colonies, or the  
Space Stations. Give her solid earth, trees, rocks, wind, streams and  
actual air any day. But her chosen profession insisted that she take trips  
of this nature. With Relena-sama leading a majority of the Earth, it wasn't  
too difficult for Dorothy to see that power would remain in her favor for  
the time being. The actions of Treize-sama's daughter, Mariemeia, had only  
increased things. At the authority of the Vice-Foreign Minister Relena  
Peacecraft, Dorothy was the current head of Demilitarization of the former  
Romafeller Foundation and all of it's holdings. Her connections with the  
organization made her the perfect choice.  
  
And this job is what forced her to shuttle up to the Colonies. Romefeller  
stored it's weapons all over, and her grandfather did not disclose or leave  
all the information on them, even when he was forced to step down from his  
position. And since the War had killed many of the high officials, there  
were still many weapon caches hidden all over. Every so often a component  
of a special project would turn up, or someone would find a storage  
facility full of mobile dolls. This trip was to investigate one such  
incident.  
  
The place she was looking for, was incidentally, a scrap heep. A junk yard.  
A dark haired girl stood near one such pile, sorting through the rubble as  
if something important would actually appear. Clearing her throat, Dorothy  
made herself known, "Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to work here, would  
you?"  
  
Spikes of hair fell in front of her face, one thick lock covering one of  
two large blue eyes before she brushed it aside and responded, "Yeah, can I  
help you?"  
  
"Were you the one who contacted Minister Peacecraft?" she went straight to  
what mattered.  
  
"Relena? Oh! You're here to take care of that. So you must be..." She  
struggled as if in search of a name.  
  
"Dorothy Catalonia. Can you tell me what caused me to take a shuttle all  
the way up here?"  
  
"Come on, he's in here. I'm Hilde, by the way!"  
  
Hilde? Ah yes. Must be the spy who helped get the information on Libra to  
the Gundams. The face had been shown to her briefly, and now that she  
thought about it, she did look familiar. So this was one of the Gundam  
pilot's friends? Did this mean that it was a Gundam pilot who contacted  
Relena-sama?  
  
"Are you coming?"  
  
Dorothy was pulled out of her thoughts and noticed that Hilde was already  
half way to the small building that was to the side of the scrap yard.  
Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and giving a light shake  
of her head, she moved after her without giving a verbal response.  
  
Banging on the door, Hilde yelled, "Look alive, boys! We have company!"  
  
Boys? Dorothy didn't get the chance to think on that as the door opened and  
she followed Hilde inside. And inside her light blue eyes settled on not  
one, but three Gundam pilots.  
  
Two she recognized from personal experience, one she just knew from  
pictures and records. The one who held the most of her attention was, of  
course, Quatre Raberba Winner. Three years of growth hadn't changed him  
very much. He might have been an inch taller, but he still looked like the  
same little blonde boy that she accused so often of being weak.  
  
The other boy she recognized instantly was Trowa Barton, the pilot who had  
arrived on Libra to help Quatre after she had run him through the stomach.  
Mustard brown hair was longest in the front, sloping down to cover one eye  
completely. She noticed him second because of the fact that Quatre was  
standing right next to him.  
  
The other boy present was the pilot of 02, Duo Maxwell. She'd seen a few  
pictures of him, and heard his name, as well as going over research on what  
his Gundam had been capable of and his recorded battle tactics. He was  
learning against the far wall, long braid over one shoulder.  
  
When she had stepped inside, whatever conversation had already stopped with  
Hilde's pounding. And it didn't take long to realize that Quatre's eyes  
were locked on her, just as much as hers were on his. She hadn't seen him  
this close since the incident on Libra, and she had made sure he was  
nowhere she was visiting before she left. He was supposed to be on another  
colony. Dorothy was going to maim whoever got her miss information.  
  
While she was still not prepared to face him, she wasn't about to let him  
know that. Folding her hands in the small of her back, Dorothy raised her  
chin a little and spoke, "Quatre Winner. I did not expect to find the head  
of Winner Enterprises in a junk yard. But then again, it is oddly fitting."  
Her tone was humored, but she had been meaning to stab at him.  
  
"Dorothy..." he finally managed in a soft voice.  
  
Before he could add more than her name, Dorothy turned away from him and  
looked at Hilde, "Who contacted Relena-sama about the Virgo dolls?"  
  
"Oi! That would be me." Maxwell jumped up from the wall and waved at her  
with a wide smile, "Duo Maxwell at your service!"  
  
"Dorothy Catalonia," she responded, approaching the young man with the  
braid to avoid looking at Quatre anymore.  
  
"Dorothy..." Duo glanced between her and the blonde Arab for a few moments,  
then something seemed to click and he shared a brief look with Trowa, who  
had stood there silently since she entered. "Ah... Follow me! I'll show you  
what was brought to us." He threw a wink towards Hilde, then moved through  
another door, in the back of the room.  
  
Dorothy was the only one who followed him through the door, which she was  
quite glad with. She didn't want to face the boy she had nearly killed  
right then, nor the man (who was hardly as silent at the time) who had come  
to his rescue.  
  
"So.. you're the one who as behind the Virgos during the attack on Libra?"  
Duo broke her train of thought quite effectively.  
  
"Yes." is all she gave in answer.  
  
"They were pretty tough!"  
  
"Thank you. And you, Zero-Two, were quite impressive yourself." She wasn't  
complimenting him. Just speaking the truth. He was a Gundam pilot, and all  
of them were impressive in battle. Even Quatre.  
  
Leading her through another set of doors, Duo brought her into a room filled  
mostly with one lone object. She recognized it immediately. It was most of  
a Virgo shield generator, including a large chuck of the doll's back  
region. "Who found this?"  
  
"Some space scavenger sold it to us. He hinted that there was more where it  
came from when I expressed interest in it. He left a frequency to notify  
him on if I wanted more." the boy was grinning like an idiot. Or perhaps,  
more accurately, like a smart ass.  
  
Dorothy couldn't help but chuckle softly, because he looked positively  
silly. Her laughing seemed to brighten him up even more, as if it was some  
personal accomplishment, making her laugh. "Then we should contact him in a  
little while. Relena-sama will supply the credits to get the dolls back, so  
they can be destroyed." Though, as long as she handled the actual  
transaction, she could make sure Relena and Duo both got misinformed on the  
actual amount. She needed a few extra Virgo parts.  
  
"Shit, ya better get yourself a place to stay a few days. Scavengers tend  
to take their time replying!"  
  
Looking around at the various items scattered throughout the room, Dorothy  
reached up and ran fingers over her dark forked eyebrows, "You would be the  
one to know that, Duo-kun." With a spin, she turned around and added  
loudly, "I'll be back tomorrow. Contact your fellow 'junk collector' by  
then."  
  
"This is a repair shop, cockroach-brow!"  
  
The insult made her stop short in her trek through the building and out of  
this place. Most people didn't verbally bash her eyebrows anymore, not to  
her face at least. The shock that someone would is the reason she was drawn  
up short. They had done that before, when she was a child. Everything from  
forkbrow to eyebrow-feelers. But by the time she was around ten, no one  
dared anymore. Because they were all afraid of her. None of the Gundam  
pilots were though. Nor was Relena-sama. Right then, she wished that the  
braided boy was afraid of her. But he wasn't. So instead of turning and  
stabbing at him verbally, she just walked away. She would get him later.  
Luckily, upon returning to the first room, she found that Quatre and Trowa  
were no longer present.  
  
====================================================================  



	2. Part 2

Notes for this chapter: Uh... Enjoy it? Thanks for the single review so   
far! .; (No flames though, so I should be happy?) I decided to go ahead  
and keep a little shonen-ai hints, so you may notice a few in this, but  
it won't be a major part of the story.  
  
  
We didn't get off to a very good start, but it only got worse. If only I  
hadn't been so secretive...  
  
*******  
  
A.C. 198  
  
Duo Maxwell was working on repairing a short in the knee joint of a  
construction suit when Quatre and Trowa finally returned. Cockroach-brow  
had scared them away. Trowa was in the Colony with the circus (Hilde was  
still trying to beg the silent clown into getting her free admission),  
while Quatre was there on business (or more likely to visit Trowa). "Oi!  
Trowa! Pass me that wire cutter, would you?" he called down as soon as the  
tall boy was close.  
  
Getting the requested took, Trowa handed it up in silence and the Shinigami  
replied a thanks before going back to work.  
  
"Dorothy mentioned something about Virgos?" the blond Winner boy voiced  
from below after a few moments.  
  
"Hai! Hai!" Duo responded, still finish up the repairs, so most of his  
attention was on the various wires. "I ran across part of a Virgo. Since  
that girl, Relena, wants to destroy all of 'em, I sent her a message. Looks  
like cockroach-brow's workin' for her."  
  
"Oh." Quatre voiced almost too softly for Duo to hear where he was. There  
was a few moments of silence below until he added, "Did she say where she'd  
be staying?"  
  
Forcing blue eyes away from the work, Duo glanced down at the blonde  
millionaire and the killer clown. Why was Quatre so interested in that  
creepy girl who nearly killed him back on Libra? Trowa did not seem  
surprised, in fact, the boy even nodded lightly when Duo met his eye.  
  
"She didn't say. But she's probably staying in that building Relena always  
does." The princess herself had visited the area a few times, and almost  
each time she dropped in to see him and Hilde, or more accurately, to as  
where Heero might be. Duo really hoped Quatre didn't like creepy-brow.  
Though watching him follow Trowa around like a lovesick puppy was getting a  
little old. He was never going to let anyone do that to him. Male or  
female. He may not have his Deathscythe anymore, but he was Still  
Shinigami! And no pretty face was going to turn him into a love-starved  
pup.  
  
"Where's that?" To Duo's shock, the question came from Trowa, not Quatre.  
They both wanted to see her then? This was getting kind of interesting!  
  
"Lemme finish this up and I'll take you guys!" he called back down to the  
two and quickly connected the wires he needed to, made sure they wouldn't  
spark a fire if he left them alone, then jumped down. "Come on. You two  
really shouldn't hang around here so much or Hilde'll find you all jobs!"  
  
"I heard that, Maxwell!" a yell came from off in the distance near the  
shop.  
  
"Oi. Busted. Move it, Qua-chan, Tro-kun."  
  
He got the two of them out before Hilde could reap vengeance, or whatever  
her mood happened to be right then. He liked to tease her, but honestly she  
was his best friend.  
  
Relena always stayed in the nicest area of the Colony, so that's where he  
lead the other two pilots. The building was as tall as most around it,  
stretching well over 30 stories. He kinda hoped Dorothy's room was near the  
top floor. The elevator was outside the building and nearly all glass. Very  
cool! Unfortunately who they saw in the lobby negated any purpose to go on  
the elevator.  
  
Dark blond hair, fancy dress, and a large entourage marked the presence of  
Relena Peacecraft. When she saw the three Gundam pilots enter she  
immediately broke conversation with one of her groupies and moved towards  
them.  
  
"Relena-san!" Quatre said brightly, bowing in front of her. "I didn't know  
you were in the Colony." Trowa just nodded in her direction.  
  
"Hey!" Duo supplied, "Did you come here with forkbrow?"  
  
"Dorothy? No. I arrived prior to Dorothy. You've seen her already then?"  
Relena didn't bother to give any formal greetings and she looked more then  
a little concerned.  
  
"Relena-san? What's wrong?" Quatre caught on to the concern as well. Not  
that that was a surprise.  
  
"Yeah, we saw her not three hours ago." Duo added in while he could.  
  
"Three hours? I only saw her here an hour ago..." Relena signed and closed  
her eyes briefly. Quatre asked his question again and she opened her eyes  
with a start. "Oh, Quatre-san. I'm sorry. It's just... Dorothy. I think she  
might be planning to do something. She's been stealing the weapons she's  
supposed to be having destroyed."  
  
What? Duo glanced to the other pilots and noticed the shocked and hurt look  
that suddenly crossed Quatre's face. Trowa just watched, and was the first  
to speak, "How did you find out?"  
  
"I didn't. Heero did. He sent me a message telling me just two days ago."  
Relena shook her head, no doubt a little burned that it took a possible act  
of war for Heero to contact her.  
  
"Damn. Roach-chan's got some explaining to do!" Duo said rather loudly.  
  
"I tried to talk to her, but she took one look at me and ran."  
  
Ran? That didn't seem like the Dorothy he'd heard about. Though, if she  
had, the reason would be obvious. The look of betrayed knowledge was all  
over Relena.  
  
"We'll help you look for her." Quatre immediately offered. Trowa nodded in  
agreement, but Duo waved his hands in immediate protest.   
  
"Hey! Shit, I came here to snicker at you two and demon-brow, not go on a  
wild goose chase! 'Sides, if she's been running an hour she's probably on a  
friggin' transport by now."  
  
Relena gave him a quick out (and gain a point in his book!), "You don't  
have to. And I think she might try to go back to set up the last  
transaction."  
  
Duo was about to jump on that excuse to go when Trowa butted in, "Relena.  
How many weapons does she have?" Leave it to the mostly silent one to ask  
the good questions. Hrmpt!  
  
There was a reluctant pause from the Former Queen of the World, "According  
to Heero, she has taken enough to have well over a thousand Mobile Dolls,  
about six hundred Virgos, the rest are Taurus suits. And at least a hundred  
other manned suits of most the types. He isn't too sure on the numbers, and  
thinks there might be more. Dorothy knows how to cover her tracks pretty  
well. He doesn't even know where she's storing them."  
  
A thousand mobile dolls? Oi. "Shit." is all Duo voiced on the matter, but  
that was tame compared to his thoughts at the moment. If it had been a  
hundred he probably would have cheered and said something about target  
practice. But a thousand was pushing it! They didn't even have Gundams  
anymore!  
  
Cobalt eyes flickering towards his fellow pilots, he saw Quatre looking sad  
and disappointed. What? Did he think she was a good guy? One look at her  
proved she wasn't good guy material. She was actually worse then Heero!  
Before this got worse, Duo decided to bail for now. If Dorothy was going  
after one last supply, she'd have to go to the shop and get the frequency.  
And he'd left Hilde to take care of things.   
  
"You three have fun looking. Tell me how it goes!" He didn't want to be  
left out if this turned into something big. Hopefully the Preventors had  
scrapped together a Deathscythe for him. He wouldn't mind a little action.  
He just hoped that it didn't erupt into a war again.  
  
They let him go, and he hurried back to the shop. But upon arriving he  
found out he left the others a little too late.  
  
Hilde was pushing herself up off the floor of the front office when he made  
it inside and he immediately went to help her, "Shit, Hilde, you okay?"  
  
"Yeah... I've gotten hit harder." She started to rub at the back of her  
head and flinched away from a wound there. When she drew her hand back  
there was a light trace of blood.  
  
Duo pushed hair aside to get a look, but it wasn't that bad, which was  
good. If it had been much worse he would have had to kick Dorothy's ass.  
"You should check into a doctor, but I think it just grazed your scalp.  
Dorothy?"  
  
"Yeah. She wanted the frequency of the scavenger you had contacted. I  
wouldn't have given it to her, but she pulled a gun..."  
  
"Don't worry. It doesn't matter." He helped her up and over to a chair  
before adding, "I may have to be gone for a while. Can you finish up the  
repairs we got lined up?" If this was going to erupt into another war... he  
certainly wasn't going to let it be fought there.  
  
Hilde watched him for a few moments, then nodded, "Yeah, Duo. I can handle  
things. A bump like this won't keep me down."  
  
"No shit." Duo grinned, straightening and starting towards the desk to get  
a few things that he would need if he was going to try to catch Dorothy  
before she got out of the Colony.  
  
"Dorothy was on Libra, wasn't she?" Hilde asked suddenly.  
  
"Yeah. She worked with the Romafeller foundation on Earth and the White  
Fang in Space. You remember seeing her?" he was looking for his back up  
communication transmitter, which would have the frequency. Hilde probably  
gave her the primary.   
  
"Vaguely." she said, before musing, "Romafeller, White Fang and now Relena  
and the Peace Government. She certainly allies with groups in highest  
power. Kind of funny, since all three were fighting each other at one  
time."  
  
"Yeah. But somehow I doubt she's that devoted to peace." Stealing weapons,  
pointing guns at people... it all hinted towards the possibility that she  
was about as devoted to the peace effort as her grandfather obviously had  
been. Finally, he found the transmitter and pocketed it, then went looking  
for his own hand gun. Just incase Dorothy was going to be gun happy.  
  
"Be careful, Duo." Hilde said as he fixed the gun behind his back, secured  
in place with his belt.  
  
"I'm always careful."  
  
==========================================================================  
  
Next part: Um... Duo chases after Dorothy. Quatre and Trowa catch up. Bad  
stuff happens. o.o;; Oh, and you may notice, each little second begins with  
a little First Person narrative. This one was really small, when compared  
to the first one. Some will be longer. 


	3. Part 3

Lots more cursing in this part (obviously from Duo). And I'm not an expert  
when it comes to SciFi terms or fighting in space, so I was just winging it  
as anyone who is would likely notice. . . Hopefully someone besides the  
one person who's reviewed (Thank you!) is reading and enjoying this. If not  
at least I know I am. ^^;;  
  
===========================================================================  
  
Sometimes I wonder how things would have been different if we met the  
before the war broke out back then, like I had met Heero and Quatre in the  
Sanq Kingdom. Would I have challenged him instead of Heero in the school? I  
also wonder what might have happened if he had been the one to find the  
mobile doll control room, instead of Quatre. Would he have killed me? Would  
I have killed him? Somehow, I fear that I would have killed him, more then  
the possibility that he would have killed me.  
  
*******  
  
A.C 198  
  
Dorothy Catalonia didn't like this. It didn't follow her original plan, and  
it was extremely risky. She had no more choices in the matter, because  
Relena knew even part of what she was doing, and no doubt wished to put an  
end to it. She needed to move everything before she found out too much, or  
everything she'd worked towards the past two years ago would be ruined.  
She'd worked too long and too hard to throw it all away.  
  
She couldn't risk using the transport she came to the Colony in, Relena  
would have posted guards, and she was hoping to avoid hurting anyone else.  
Besides, next to the communicator she had gotten from Hilde had been a  
transportation permit. Duo Maxwell had his own shuttle, and a private dock  
for it. Must be a benefit of having been a Gundam Pilot. She was about to  
add that shuttle to the long list of things she had stolen in the last two  
years.  
  
Her piloting skills weren't awful, but as soon as she got into the craft  
she noticed that he had made a few personal modifications to the controls.  
That's the reason that it took her so long to get everything figured out,  
and that delay gave the owner of the craft time to find her.  
  
She heard the door open in the back of the shuttle, and not a minute later  
there was a voice behind her. Duo Maxwell's voice, to be specific, "Oi, oi.  
And here I thought high class ladies were supposed to be above petty  
theft!"  
  
Dorothy let out a small sigh before saying, "I sincerely hope you closed  
the hatch behind you." As soon as she finished, she hit the panel to open  
the outer doors. Since she hadn't taken the time to decompress the doors  
stuck a few seconds before opening and the air rushed out, the shuttle was  
jerked forward a little as well. It didn't take long to realize he had  
closed the hatch, proven by the fact that she was still breathing.   
  
"You're crazy, you know that?"  
  
"I suggest you sit down."  
  
He hadn't, and when she controlled the shuttle to move out into space, the  
jerk forward was followed by the sound of something falling to the ground.  
Duo must have been holding something because there were two metallic clicks  
as something hit and slid to thunk against one of the walls behind her. He  
didn't move much, so she wondered if he was knocked unconscious, but she  
didn't even glance back until she'd cleared the space surrounding the  
Colony and set the shuttle onto auto pilot.  
  
Unfastening herself, Dorothy moved to check on him, and found that he had  
brought a gun with him, and had no doubt had it drawn on her when he  
entered. He wasn't unconscious, but he was having a hard time getting up,  
because his clothing was caught on an open panel and wasn't coming loose. A  
little bit of blood around the catch showed that it had cut into his skin  
as well.  
  
"Stop moving." she ordered the pilot as she pulled a knife she kept on the  
inside of her boot and knelt forward to cut the fabric around the catch so  
he could get his arm free. He protested, pulling away and saying he could  
do it himself. What? Did he think she would stab him? "Calm down, Duo. I  
have no intention of hurting you." She put her knife away, but kept  
kneeling there beside him, his gun in her other hand now.  
  
"Just like you had no intention of stabbing Quatre and hurting Hilde?"  
  
"I had every intention of doing those things." Dorothy said, "If you do  
plan to stop me, there's only one way you're going to accomplish that."  
With that, she turned the gun she was holding around so that she had the  
barrel and held the handle in his direction.  
  
Duo blinked at the offer, then took his gun back and kept it trained on her  
as she knelt in front of him calm and with no weapon drawn herself, looking  
right into his eyes. Finally he let out a breath, "You really are crazy."  
  
"Perhaps." Dorothy smirked lightly and straightened, turning her back on  
him as she moved to sit down at the pilot's seat. "If you don't plan to  
kill me, you might want to sit down."  
  
"I'm going to regret this, I just know it." he grumbled as he sat down  
beside her in the passenger/co-pilot seat, the gun still in hand and  
trained in her general direction. "Shit, Heero would have shot you."  
  
"You're not Heero," she responded simply as she pushed the transmitter into  
the console to ready to send a message to the scavenger who had the dolls.  
  
"Yeah, well, I still should shoot you."  
  
He was making her grin a little more each time he spoke. But the worst part  
was, she agreed with him. "I would've shot me too." That earned her another  
odd look before she continued, "It's actually good that you decided to drop  
in. You've spoken to the man before. Find out where I can go to buy the  
Virgos he has."  
  
"What makes you think I'd help you do that?"  
  
"Because you didn't shoot me when you had the chance."  
  
"And just how do you intend to pay the man? Relena certainly won't pay for  
it."  
  
"Incase you don't remember, I happen to have a great deal of money myself."  
She'd inherited the majority of her grandfather's fortune, not to mention a  
substantial amount from Treize-sama. She didn't need Relena's money to get  
what she desired, it just made it easier to get around Relena's watch dogs  
when she had a perfectly good reason to be buying the weapons."  
  
"Let me do it." Duo grumped, leaning over and clicking the transmitter  
around until it settled on a channel, then started to speak. "This is Duo  
Maxwell. Please respond." Static. "Respond. I have someone with me who's  
very interested in the Virgo." More static, then, suddenly a voice.  
  
"Duo? You're with Dorothy?" It was Quatre's voice. She should have known he  
was up to something when he started to switch the frequencies.  
  
In one motion she clicked off the transmitter, punched Maxwell in the face  
and knocked the gun out of his hand. Though not exactly in that order.  
  
"I thought you had no intention of hurting me?" he said, rubbing his cheek.  
  
"I didn't." she responded simply, pulling her own gun and training it on  
him, "Don't even think about going after your gun again."   
  
Removing the stolen transmitter, Dorothy put it aside and pulled out the  
one she had in her own pocket. Once she had her own transmitter in and  
pointed on the right channel she was planning to contact the people working  
with her. Keyword there being: planning.  
  
She hadn't even noticed the approaching transport until they fired. The  
blast hit on Duo's side of the transport, shorting the lights for a few  
seconds and making a few other electric systems flicker. Dorothy was  
strapped in, so besides being jerked to the side, she wasn't thrown from  
her chair. Duo wasn't quite as lucky, and he landed half on her, knocking  
the gun out of her hand as he was catching himself.  
  
"Shit!" he cursed loudly, but Dorothy just pushed him off her and tried to  
get the com to work.  
  
"This is Dorothy Catalonia! Cease fire imm--!" Another blast hit and she  
was thrown against the side, banging her head hard against the metal. She  
felt the blood roll down the side of her face as she tried the com again,  
"Cease fire!"  
  
Duo pushed himself up and quickly undid the belt fastening her into the  
chair, "Get out of the damn chair."  
  
"Get your hands off me!"  
  
"Get out!" he grabbed the fabric of her shirt and literally heaved her out  
of the chair as they were struck again, this time near the back. He broke  
her fall, but immediately pushed her off or him. "Shit!" She was sprawled  
on the floor of the shuttle while he was strapping himself in, "Damnit.  
They hit the main thrusters." That didn't stop him from dodging the next  
blast sent at them. "Secondary and backups still working. I suggest you get  
your ass strapped in and hang on. Your friends busted the com with that  
last hit."  
  
Pulling herself into the co-pilot chair, Dorothy looked at the controls to  
try to see what she could do. He may not think too highly of her, but she  
wasn't going to just sit in a chair and watch if she could offer some  
assistance. "Close range sensors are still working."   
  
"I see that. Just sit there and look pretty. I'll take care of this."  
  
Dorothy threw him a glare that would have sent any of the girls she went to  
boarding school with cowering in fear. He just glanced for a second and  
said, "Or you can sit there and do a lousy Heero impression. But don't  
touch anything unless you really are as suicidal as you act." She didn't  
like that one but. He wasn't at all afraid of her.  
  
Muttering harsh words under her breath, Dorothy didn't listen to him and  
kept watching the sensors. He was doing a very good job of getting out of  
the way just in time. She'd feel a little better if they'd missed by more  
though. Suddenly something else came into the range of the sensor. She  
brought the image up and said, "Duo, you may want to see this."  
  
"Shit, I told you... Oh shit!" the boy certainly had a mouth on him.  
"That's Trowa's! Damnit! I can't tell them to get out of here!"  
  
"Who cares! They're turning some of the fire their way. Let's get out of  
here while we can!"  
  
"Damnit! Quatre was worried about you! Trowa was too! I say by his fucking  
bedside with Trowa and Rasid as he recovered from that wound you gave him  
and all the while he was worried about you!"  
  
Dorothy sat there stunned as he said all that, then looked at the picture  
of Barton's shuttle. They'd been hit a few times and were having a hard  
time dodging. On impulse, Dorothy threw herself at Duo, pushing the back up  
thrusters to move the shuttle between the firing craft and Trowa's shuttle.  
The following blasts hit Duo's side and flung her violently the direction  
she had just came from.  
  
===========================================================================  
  
Teaser for next part: No teaser, but rest assured that Duo's gonna be   
wanting some answers as to who was attacking them and why!  



	4. Part 4

This part was late because I had school stuff that kept me from writing.   
Sorry!! Anyway, thanks for the reviews. ^^  
  
===========================================================================  
  
He never really agreed with many of my views of the world, but then very  
few people did. Looking back I see that in many ways I wasn't thinking  
clearly on it. Though I tried to look past the things that happened when I  
was younger, I never fully have, and in some ways that made it very  
difficult to move on.  
  
*******  
  
A.C 198  
  
The overhead light was flickering. Duo had to resist the urge to scrounge  
up some tools and fix it himself. It was annoying, but also a much needed  
distraction. It had been years since he needed to be in one of these  
places. He didn't care much for hospitals. At least he didn't need to be in  
it very long. He had assurances that he would be allowed to leave before  
the night was over. It was the other four people he was worried about. It  
was a miracle their bodies weren't floating in space as it was!  
  
He'd only sustained minor injuries. Nothing life threatening. He'd only  
gotten a close look at Dorothy's wounds, but if Trowa, Quatre and Relena  
were worse off, as was briefly mentioned, they must have been pretty bad.  
Damnit. Why wouldn't any of the doctors come talk to him!?  
  
The same moment he thought that there was a knock on the door frame. "Duo?"  
it was Hilde. At least she hadn't been in the other transport too.  
  
Pushing himself up, Duo offered a grin. "Hilde! Hey.."  
  
"If this is what you call being careful, I really hope you don't plan to be  
reckless next time." she offered a smile, settling into the chair next to  
the bed.  
  
"Hey! I was careful!" Hrmpt. He wasn't the one who maneuvered the shuttle  
right into enemy fire. True, it possibly saved the other shuttle entirely,  
and if she hadn't jumped him he'd probably have dome something similar. But  
for now he could push blame in creep-brow's corner. "So how is everyone?  
The doctors won't tell me anything!"  
  
"Trowa'll probably be released about the same time as you, but he'll likely  
have to cut back on the acrobatics for a while." Hilde grumped lightly.  
"Catherine's here, so she's able to get more information on him then the  
others. Quatre's still in surgery so they won't say anything for sure.  
Relena's a little better, but still unconscious."  
  
There was one person that Hilde left out, "What about Dorothy?"  
  
"She's fine. Bruised mostly, minor concussion, she's being held until  
Relena is awake and decides what to do with her."  
  
So they were holding her in the hospital. Duo sincerely hoped that they  
kept her under close guard. "Do you think they'd let me see her?"  
  
Hilde's jaw set slightly, in the stubborn way that it sometimes did when  
she was angry at him for some reason. He didn't think she was angry right  
then, but she wasn't happy.  
  
"What?"  
  
"She nearly got you killed!"  
  
"Yeah, and I want to know why."  
  
Hilde sighed, mood vanishing. "They'll probably let you see her. Trowa's in  
there now."  
  
"I bet that's a one-sided conversation."  
  
In fact, when Duo finally managed to get to her room, he found that there  
was next to none in the area of conversation. Dorothy was sitting up in the  
bed, bandages around part of her head and at her upper left arm, which was  
crossed over her chest with her right. And she was glowering in silence,  
pale blue eyes narrowed at the young man leaning against the wall across  
from the bed.  
  
Trowa had his ribs bandaged, though that was hardly visible under his  
shirt. He didn't look upset, or any real emotional at all. With his single  
visible eye, he was looking right back at the girl, also in silence.  
  
"Oi, oi. I hate to interrupt the staring contest, but the silence might  
scare the nurses!" Duo cut in as he stepped into the room and plopped down  
in the chair beside the bed. Three eyes turned to look at him. Two light  
pupil-less eyes glowering in a glare that promised his slow painful death,  
and one green gaze that was nearly empty. He didn't pay any mind to  
Dorothy's glare -- Heero's had prepared him for anything! -- and instead  
spoke to Trowa, "Why're you here, Trowa?"  
  
"..."  
  
It's hard to say how Duo knew that the silence was as close to spoken word  
as silence could be, but he could nearly picture the three dots in a word  
bubble over the tallest pilot's head.  
  
That word bubble got actual words after a few moments.  
  
"I wanted to thank Dorothy for saving our lives."  
  
There was a loud snort from the 'life saver'. "And here I thought every  
other sentence involved wanting to know where I'm keeping my dolls."  
  
So she wasn't going to lie about having them? That surprised him a little  
bit. From what Duo had heard, she struck him as someone who would jump  
around words and subjects as much as possible to avoid losing her  
advantage. Maybe by admitting to the weapons she was trying to gain  
something?  
  
"Well, that shuttle had some impressive fire power, Dorothy-chan." Duo  
said, during his feet up on the wide cushioned chair so he could peek over  
his knees.  
  
She whipped her head around and glared at him again, forked eyebrows  
lowering, "They weren't mind, Maxwell. If they were, we'd be dead."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"My people wouldn't have retreated once the threat was disabled. They would  
have permanently eliminated it, then left. We were floating dead, as Trowa  
explained to me. No weapons, no cavalry on the way. If my people had deemed  
fit to attack us -- which they wouldn't have -- they would have finished  
the job." There was a pause, then she concluded, "And they have orders not  
to make any moves, under any conditions, until I give the signal, or in the  
event that I am unable to contact them anymore, movement will automatically  
come into effect."  
  
There. That was the advantage. If they killed her, the people working for  
her would strike. Should they hold her, the same outcome would occur.  
Should they let her go, it would only be a matter of time. Either way,  
unless they got the location of her storage facilities, she would win. And  
she knew it. And perhaps worse, she knew that they knew it.  
  
"So I guess you got yourself an insurance policy, ne?"  
  
"Call it what you like."  
  
"How long until you have to contact them next?" Trowa asked, interrupting  
his long silence.  
  
Dorothy grinned, "About three hours ago." For a second, Duo thought she was  
lying for a reaction, but it suddenly struck him that she was completely  
serious, not to mention telling the truth. She didn't give them much time  
to react, just long enough for the two pilots to look at each other before  
she added, "But they won't move for two days, at least."  
  
"That was nice of you to leave a window." Duo commented as he attempted to  
find some way to use this two-day window.  
  
"I'm a nice girl."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
She didn't get a chance to respond because Trowa pushed away from the wall  
and turned towards the door, where Relena had just appeared. Her arm was in  
a sling and a bandage not that different from Dorothy's around her head.  
She waited until all three of them were looking at her before she spoke,  
"Dorothy."  
  
"Relena."  
  
"Oi, is it just me, or did the temperature suddenly drop?" No one even  
glanced at him. "Guess it's just me."  
  
"How much do you have and where do you have them, Dorothy?"  
  
"What will you do if I tell you?"  
  
"What you were supposed to do with them in the first place!"  
  
Oi, Relena was mad, but all Dorothy did was grin, as if she were getting  
kicks out of this whole predicament.  
  
"Relena, the weapons aren't the cause of wars. I've studied wars. Weapons  
are just the method for which wars are fought. Even if there were no  
weapons of a conventional sense, as long as there are people with wills and  
separate desires and motives, they will find some way to wage a war. A war  
for peace is merely a reason given for the senseless deaths of thousands,  
even millions. It is an excuse. An explanation for why those who died's  
lives were not wasted."  
  
She was completely calm, if more than a little amused, as she spoke what  
she believed. Relena just seemed to get more angry. "Tell me where the  
weapons are, Dorothy?"  
  
"After we all just got attacked by someone with hefty fire power hidden on  
a seemingly harmless transport? Do you honestly believe that by destroying  
every weapon that WE have control of is wise in the face of a possible  
threat? Relena, your ideals are very beautiful, and though I disagree on  
every point, I do respect them. You are a Peacecraft. Crafting peace for  
the future at the expense of your own present, just like Milliardo-sama  
did. The methods differ, but the end result would have been the same.  
Nothing. War is in our blood. To take it away is to take away what makes us  
human. A world without war, with absolute and total peace, would be a world  
without life. The only true peace is found in the grave, so, I guess you  
could say all wars bring peace, to at least some."  
  
The first part, Duo might have agreed with. It's hard to fight a threat  
with no weapons. The rest was bordering on insanity. Peace was death?  
  
"Dorothy..." Relena said in a frustrated voice, but before she could say  
much more, Dorothy responded.  
  
"Very well. If you must know where I'm keeping the weapons, I will show  
you." Dorothy looked towards Trowa and then towards him. Duo had stayed  
quiet the last few minutes because interrupting two arguing ice queens was  
even worse then telling Wufei that Nataku was a wimp. "I'll assume both of  
you would want to go."  
  
"Quatre's still in surgery." Trowa responded emotionlessly. He may be  
ignorant of the smaller boy's feelings for him, but he was a good friend  
and probably wouldn't leave until he was all right.  
  
Duo hopped up from his seat, smiling widely, "I'm in! I wanna see how far  
off Heero is!"  
  
===========================================================================  
  
Teaser: Find out what Dorothy's up to, and a couple hints on why they  
were attacked in the first place. 


	5. Part 5

Thanks so much for the feedback! I actually had this part done for a while  
but hadn't had the time to type it (I handwrite everything) until tonight.  
The next part is mostly done too. It's pretty short, so I'll probably have   
it up tomorrow.  
  
===========================================================================  
  
  
Heero was the one who unknowingly helped us meet. If he hadn't been so  
sneaky and tracked one of my communications and did research on what I was  
doing, it wouldn't have happened for while longer. Of course, if Heero  
hadn't done that, I probably wouldn't be alive. Though I wish it wouldn't  
have been Heero that found out part of what I was up to, I'm glad he did. I  
don't know what shocked him more. The fact that I fell for his friend, or  
the fact that I thanked him for catching me in the act.  
  
*******  
  
A.C 198  
  
The nearest storage facility to the L-2 Colony was the big one. It didn't  
have the most, but it had the most important. All the special projects were  
stored and built there. In actuality, it was a satellite mine and refining  
facility, owned by herself; one of the many acquisitions since she took  
over her Grandfather's fortunes. The mine was for Gundamium of course,  
which is why she bought it, and also why it was the special project  
facility.  
  
Relena wasn't letting her get very far from her sight and Maxwell was  
piloting. Dorothy just sat there and told him where to go. She could tell  
that neither of them trusted her, because they both kept checking the  
sensors more than was required. She didn't care what they thought though,  
she just needed them to understand what she was doing. She'd known she  
would have to explain herself eventually, though she'd hoped it would be a  
while longer. At least until all the special projects were completed and  
tested.  
  
"When you get within range, transmit the following. 'Three days bright,  
nine hours dim.'" She gave them one of the pass codes. It was the lowest  
level one, just showing that the approaching craft had someone on board who  
was connected to the station and no countermeasures to deter movement were  
required.  
  
"What would happen if we didn't?" Duo asked, glancing over his shoulder at  
her.  
  
Dorothy laughed softly, "They wouldn't open fire, if that's what you're  
thinking." Relena glanced over and implied the same question braid boy had  
just stated. This time the blonde girl sighed, lowering her head in  
annoyance, "They would contact us, warning that there are technical  
problems in the mine or refining area and it would be best to stay away. If  
they continue to get closer they would remind that this is restricted space  
owned by Catalonia Enterprises and if they continue charges can be placed  
on them. If they still continue, they would be taken into custody upon  
landing without being allowed to see anything of importance. It isn't  
normally a problem though."  
  
"Then why are the sensors going crazy and showing a battle?"  
  
"What?" Dorothy unstrapped herself and floated over to the closest panel.  
Sure enough, it looked like a firefight was going on between the mine and a  
few crafts. The mine was holding it's own, using it's surface weapons only,  
but they weren't aiming to destroy, just disable. And the attacking  
shuttles looked eerily familiar... Damnit! "Give me the com, Duo," she said  
quickly, trying to remain calm. This wouldn't fall apart on her. She  
wouldn't let it. "Duo! Now!"  
  
"Do it, Duo." Relena said in support. So Miss Peacecraft still had some  
trust in her. Good.  
  
"Deploy Project Algol. Authorization: C3-215-73-KD." Dorothy ordered  
sharply, "The attacking crafts are likely after the special projects.  
Protect them at all costs. If all else fails, you know what to do. Protect  
the approaching craft, code: Medusa." She looked at Duo and said, "Get us  
in there now, dodge as much as you can and head for the lower bay. I'll  
have it open by the time you get there."   
  
For the moment at least, Duo seemed willing to trust her. Or, at least, he  
moved the shuttle into the fight and towards the station while Dorothy  
worked on decoding the door lock.  
  
"What's Project Algol, Dorothy?" Relena asked.  
  
"You'll see," is all the girl said in return.  
  
And they would. Eventually. Right away though, there was nothing to see.  
They weren't close enough to see anything, and right before the first  
effects of Algol could be felt, Dorothy yelled the warning, "Duo, turn off  
all sensors and fly blind."  
  
"What!? You want me to dodge these things blind!? I'm good, Dor, but that's  
fucking insane. It'll take a miracle to survive!"  
  
"It'll take a miracle to survive if you don't. Memorize the positions of  
the crafts before shut down. They won't be moving."  
  
"What's going to--"  
  
She couldn't let him stall anymore, "Now!!"  
  
There went the sensors with a couple colorful curses. A blast impacted the  
very back, and the monitors showed that the engine was damaged, but  
operational. She caught herself on the panel and a second later felt the  
pulse. There were no physical signs of it, and she knew neither of them  
felt it, but she knew. There was no way to explain how, she just did. Duo  
once said it was her antennae reacting. "Now, turn them back on."  
  
Duo did, and the screens showed something that didn't surprise Dorothy, but  
did the others. "We have one minute before they recover. Go!" All the  
shuttles were still. No longer firing. No longer moving. And their shuttle  
moved.  
  
And that's when they got the first glance at Algol. It wasn't a mobile  
suit. It wasn't a shuttle. There was nothing in development that it could  
be compared to. What it looked like was two spheres, one twice the size of  
the other, revolving around each other and spinning out above the station.  
There were a line of shield systems around it, protecting it from damage.  
The larger sphere was a dark coppery color, the smaller a bright electric  
blue.  
  
"I take it that is Algol." Relena said softly, watching the two spheres as  
they slowly revolved around each other.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What does it do?"  
  
"The only thing you have to worry about now is the ion pulse. It blinds  
active sensors for about ten minutes. I'm sure they had backups that they  
weren't using, so it shouldn't take them too long to recover.  
  
Dorothy's fingers flicked across the keypad and Relena asked, "It's a  
defensive weapon?"  
  
"It's a defensive measure."  
  
"What are the offensive measures?" this was from Maxwell.   
  
"I didn't give authorization for the offensive measures, so you don't need  
to worry about that now. Just prepare to shut down sensors when I say.  
There should be three pulses total."  
  
"Do you really think your people will follow all your commands, Dorothy?"  
Relena asked, and Duo expressed a similar question, though not quite as  
coherently.  
  
"Yes." Dorothy responded simply. She did not doubt her authority. They had  
extensive fire power hidden in that base, and until she gave they command,  
they hadn't brought out one of the weapons. They risked their lives by  
attacking with nothing more than the minor surface weapons. This incident  
only proved this base's their loyalty to her, and she was going to make  
sure they were properly paid for it.  
  
She watched the globes for a few moments longer, noted the positions of the  
crafts, then said, "Now Duo."  
  
Again, their sensors avoided the blackout and she waiting til she felt the  
pulse before having him return to normal. And by then she had the door  
decoded. "Take us in. When you get in I'm going to have you taken to a  
secure location, Relena-sama." She said to the former Queen of the World.  
Her eyes turned towards Duo as he piloted them into the open bay. "Do you  
think you could help out in a mobile suit? These look like the same people  
who attacked us, though I believe it was me they were after. If they get  
their hands on what's in here..."  
  
"They'll start another war?" Duo asked, having not given an answer to her  
question yet.  
  
"No, not a war. Though you might not notice it wasn't by the time it ends."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, the outcome would be the same, but it wouldn't be a war. It will  
be a foolish battle without meaning. Thousands will lose their lives and it  
won't be a war that kills them. Speaking quite frankly, Relena-sama, I  
would much rather have a war."  
  
"I would much rather have peace." The Peacecraft daughter answered sadly.  
  
Duo started to set them down in the bay, the doors closing behind them.  
"And you want to stop them?" he asked skeptically.  
  
"No." Dorothy responded, bracing herself as the shuttle jerked slightly,  
setting down on the floor of the bay. When Duo and Relena were both looking  
at her, she smirked lightly, "I /am/ going to stop them."  
  
"Then you can count on me."  
  
"I was hoping you'd say that."  
  
===========================================================================  



	6. Part 6

Who'd have thought, after so long I'd post another chapter. Well, to explain, I found my old notebook last night and... well... I'd already had the next two chapters done, and I read them and decided I should post them and try to continue my story where I left off. 7 Will be posted when I have time to type it.  
  
====================================================================  
  
I always had to be strong. It was in my breeding. I couldn't affoard to be weak, even when the wars were over and I started my own projects. He always tried to convince me that there were times when I was being insane, not strong, but I never listened. Not being strong would mean I was weak. He tried so many times to convince me otherwise.  
  
*******  
  
A.C 198  
  
Duo Maxwell wasn't sure what he was getting into exactly when he gave agreement to assisting in fighting off the attacking force. Though, he wasn't sure what to expect when he stepped out of the shuttle either! Everyone was saluteing and saying "Catalonia-sama" this and "Dorothy-dono" that. They were all younger people, thirteen through twenty-something, dressed in uniforms with a black and white (mostly white) color scheme. As soon as they stepped out, Relena was wisked off to that secure area, and he got to watch Dorothy issue commands left and right. After hearing someone ask which suits to deploy, he decided he wanted to interupt, "Which suit do I get?"  
  
In response, he got a small smirk from the strange girl and she turned to her men and said, "I'll prep his suit and mine. I think we can handle it. I doubt they accounted on a Gundam pilot being here. They're having a hard enough time getting around the basic defenses."  
  
"My suit?" Duo frowned. They'd all seemed to understand right away what she had meant by that, so it almost sounded as if she'd expected this and had a suit specifically made for him.  
  
Again, Dorothy grinned at him, a mischevious twinkle in her eyes as she said, "This way. Unless you'd rather leave them all to me?" She almost seemed to be daring him.  
  
"Lead the way 'roach-brow."  
  
She grumbled something, then moved quickly down a corridor and towards a few wide doors. She punched some numbers in a keypad and then pressed her palm against a scanner. High level secruity area it seemed. The doors opened with a fast jerk, leading into a plain corridor with no apparent doors. She lead the way down it, then laid her hand on a blank panel. A sensor went off and the panel next to them slid open. Inside were large mobile suits. Three seemed to be in the modling stages, but the complete ones left him staring.   
  
"I'm sure you can guess which one is yours."  
  
Duo most certainly could! There was no mistaking. One of the suits was Deathscythe Hell. The other suits included Wing ZERO, Heavyarms and Sandrock. Altron was one of the suits in development, along with a Tallgeese and a Mercurius. Epyon stood out like a dark cloud in an otherwise clear day. "What the hell...?"  
  
"Don't ask questions. Get in and get out there." Dorothy called out as she moved towardsthe Epyon. "Your DNA alone activates it. Just spit on your hand and touch the control unit. If it doesn't come on, then I'll relay the auto-unlock codes to you. But there shouldn't be any glitches." She started to asend to the cockpit of the Epyon as Duo finally started to move toward Deathscythe.  
  
Why would she and her group build Gundams? And why would they activate with his DNA? ANd how did she get his DNA? "Oi, my brain hurts," he mumbled as he climbed up to het into the open cockpit. As he was instructed, he spit on his hand and grabbed the control unit. It automatically clicked on, door closing, systems powering up, panels lighting. Information scrolled over the main screen. "Hello, old buddy. Never thought I'd see you in a place like this." Then again, he'd hoped the Gundams wouldn't be needed again.  
  
"Maxwell! Stop talking to your Gundam and prepare for battle!" a voice called through the com systems. Dorothy's image appeared on one of the side monitors. "The setup should be just as you had it."  
  
"Hey, are you really going to use Epyon? It's a dangerous suit!"  
  
"I can handle it, worry about yourself."  
  
"All right. All right. Escuse me for being a little concerned! Hope you know what you're doing."  
  
"And I hope you remember what to do, Shinigami-kun."  
  
"Only if you got everything in the right place, roach-chan."  
  
Dorothy shook her head and the image clicked off, but right before it did, he heard the beginning of a soft chuckle. He grinned himself and began to examine the controls. The personal additions he made to it to complete the unfinished Deathscythe HELL were even in place. How did she get his personal additions? He could understand the basic sckematics. She was on Libra with Dr. J and the others. She might have gotten the original designs, but he didn't stick to them completely when he finished the additions.  
  
Wah, he had so many questions for antennae girl it wasn't funny! But for now, the God of Death had some people to scare away.  
  
Duo activated the sensor dampanor of both visual and heat sensors, as well as everything else, and heard Dorothy order to move out, "And try not to kill anyone!" she added before Epyon vanished out of the hanger.  
  
Try not to kill anyone? That was easier said than accomplished, but he would try.  
  
As soon as they got out there, the battle was nearly over. It wasn't that the shuttles were disabled really, but in general, as soon as they made their presense known, the shuttles decided to be elsewhere. In short, they weren't as dumb as they looked.  
  
"Duo," Dorothy's voice called out. "Try to disable one before it can get away. I want to question a few of them if I can."  
  
"Hai! Hai! Just one? You sure you don't want a couple?"  
  
"Don't get cocky, Braid-Boy. I'm not here to stroke your ego." Was it just him, or did that sound like inneuendo? Dorothy clicked off the communication and he saw the Epyon move to disable one of the fleeing shuttles. He targeted a different one.  
  
It didn't take too long before they both had their targets down. Duo went through the trouble of trying to contact them as he dragged the shuttle back to the station.   
  
"Hey! Why are you guys doing this? Hey, answer me!"  
  
"So... she got a Gundam pilot..." the voice wasn't famialiar, but it sounded like a young boy. The image came on screen and the boy was wearing the same white and black uniform as Dorothy's people. With the exception of bright blue slashes along the hem of the jacket.   
  
"What...?" Duo said, frowning. "What's going on here?"  
  
The young boy laughed, shaking his head. "She didn't tell you what you were getting into either, did she? Not surprising. Crazy bitch."  
  
Duo didn't know what to think. Was she trying to use him for some diabolical plot? She had sounded genuine when she said she was going to stop these attackers; she looked so sincere. That's why he agreed. "Damnit." he turned off the communication and continued leading the disabled shuttle in. If Dorothy was using him...  
  
It wasn't much longer until the pilots of the two disabled shuttles were extracted. Dorothy was standing in front of them, speaking softly. Duo pushed past the men around them and went straight to the girl with the eyebrows. "What the hell is going on Dorothy? These are you own men, aren't they? You said the shuttle that attacked us wasn't yours. It was, wasn't it?"  
  
Dorothy didn't look at him at first, but when she did she snapped at him, "Shut up, Maxwell."  
  
"I don't think so," Duo grabbed her arm and pulled her to face him. "Tell me what's going on, now. I helped you and you're lying. Give me one reason not to press this button." He raised his other hand, showing that he was gripping the detatcable self-destruct swich of Deathscythe.  
  
Clear blue eyes narrowed, but Dorothy's body froze. She had to know if he pressed it, the other suits would be damaged as well, if it didn't trigger their own self destruct. "You'd be willing to kill the people in and around that hanger?"  
  
"To keep the Gundams out of your hands? You bet!"  
  
Dorothy stared at him, then nodded, "Put that away, I'll explain everything."  
  
He reached to put it away, right next to the gun he had, though he kept his hands near both. Just in case. Duo didn't like being used.  
  
"They were my men. When they found out the true purpose of what we were doing, they defected."  
  
"What is the true purpose?"  
  
It didn't seem that fate was going to let her tell him just then. The two prisoners had been standing there the whole time and Dorothy's attentions, as well as most of the guards, were on Duo. One of the hadn't been checked good enough and pulled a small gun and fired. The sound drew everyone's eyes, but the braided pilot spotted Dorothy jerk suddenly. The guards had their guns in hand already, but Dup was still faster. He didn't even think about it. Instinct drove him to shoot the boy.  
  
"Thank you, Duo." Dorothy's voice interupted the silence that followed the gunshot. Silence for him at least. He frowned at the gun, as if wondering why it was there. He was Shinigami, but he'd gotten out of the habit of killing people. Especially in defense of someone who was probably an enemy. "I'm going to have to scold the person who checked that boy..."  
  
Duo put his gun away and looked towards the young woman. Hadn't she been hit? He was sure he saw her give a jerk. But she turned away from him and motioned the guards away, saying something about going to her quarters. It took him a moment to realize she had adjusted the jacket of her dark space suit and... her voice had been much softer than usual...  
  
Duo pushed past the guards and went after her, "Dor? Were you hit?"  
  
"I'm wearing a vest, Duo." she explained softly. "Don't make a scene."  
  
"I still want to know what's going on. I just killed someone for you."  
  
"Shut up and follow me. I said I would explain, and I will. But I want to sit down and get this vest off, if you don't mind."  
  
Duo frowned. Her voice was just barely beginning to sound pained. "I'm not going to have to carry you there, am I?"  
  
Dorothy snorted loudly, "If you even tried, I'd..."  
  
"Kill me? You don't do a very good Heero impression, so don't say it." And she didn't say it. She just continued down the corridor. Luckily, he didn't have to carry her.  
  
One thing was clear to him now. She was strong. Strong enough to hide a cracked rib from everyone else.  
  
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Next chapter: Dorothy explains herself and something really bad happens. 


	7. Part 7

Chapter 8 is halfway done already. I want to try to finish this within the next few months, before this semester ends. Look for it to be about 20 chapters. Oh, thank you for the review! It's kind of nice to know people were wanting more. ^^   
  
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I never liked getting emotional. It always made me feel weak and useless. It always left me feeling so tired. Perhaps it was my grandfathers influcence that made me believe that in order to be strong I had to be steel. I couldn't show my emotions to anyone if I had them. But why... why couldn't it have been a beautiful battle? Why couldn't I have hidden in joy?  
  
*******  
  
A.C 198  
  
Once they were inside her room, Dorothy immediately started to pull off the flight suit she'd been wearing since they left the Colony hospital. Duo didn't stare at her, but he did watch. Even under the vest she was decently dressed, though if she weren't, she probably wouldn't have minded. She wasn't ashamed of her body. Though, honestly, she didn't really want him to gawk at her. She pulled off the vest, rubbing lightly at the place of impact... and flinched. Damn it. She'd bruised a rib. That would slow her down if anyone else found out. She pulled her flight suit back on and sat down carefully. "Maxwell, keep this to yourself. I don't have the time to spend recovering."  
  
"Dorothy," he started, actually saying her name for a change. And sounding a little pitied.  
  
"I don't need any concern, I'll be fine," she cut him off, not interested in what the young man might have to say. "Sit down and make yourself comfortable."  
  
"Your people are blind idiots, you know that?" he said as he plopped down in a nearby chair. "I don't know how they missed the weapon, but those morons didn't even notice that you got hit!"  
  
"They're not fighters. A majority of those on the base are techs. Most have no combat training or experience." Dorothy explained. The look on his face was almost amusing. He probably didn't believe her. Not that it mattered if he believed her. What mattered was that, if even for a short time, he was willing to help her.  
  
Duo sat forward and turned an intense look on her. It surprised her a little, since even when he was threatening to destory the storage bay with his Gundam, he had managed to remain almost friendly. Right then, he wasn't friendly. In fact, since he had a weapon on him, she might have had reason to be worried, especially with the vest now off. "Are you going to explain what's going on now?"  
  
"I'm keeping a weapon stock for future disruptions that may require them."  
  
"If you wanted that, why didn't you just join the Perventers?"  
  
The answer came reluctantly, but it did come. "Because the Preventers won't build new weapon types. I spoke to Lady Une about it. It's one of their primary objectives."  
  
"Why do you want new weapons? The old ones work just as well."  
  
"The old ones are also on record. Someone skilled in information gathering could find the designs and locate weaknesses. Such information is more valuable in combat that superior weapons."  
  
Duo nodded. It seemed he understood that much at least. "So this Algol-thing, that the only new project you got?"  
  
"No. There's three others. Antares, Deneb, and Sirius."  
  
"Interesting names. Those are all stars, right?"  
  
"You know star names?"  
  
"Just a few. Any of them mobile suits?"  
  
"Sirius. Deneb is like Algol, a side weapon. Antares is a space ship. All of them have a special purpose. Algol is based off a prototype side-weapon for a mobile suit that the Gundam Scientists tested. It was too defective to be used originally. The designs for it were lost on Libra so I had to go from memory."  
  
"You must have a good memory."  
  
A good memory? In objects of war and battle tactics, yes. In other things... the only memory she had of her mother was the song she used to play on the piano. True, she had only been three when her mother died, but if it weren't for pictures she wouldn't even know what the woman had looked like. Or where her blond hair, blue eyes and forked eyebrows had come from. The memories weren't important in the end, so Dorothy tried to let the thoughts go. Hopefully Duo hadn't noticed anything from her expression. "Anything else?"  
  
"Why did you build the Gundams? They aren't new weapons... and why did you make it respond only to my DNA?"  
  
"Ah." He would ask that question. It was the most logical direction for the conversation to go. She had her reasons... but... for now... "The Gundam is by far the best known symbol for peace. And there's no one in existence right now worthy of piloting them outside you boys and Millardo-sama."  
  
That earned a laugh, "And you, I guess?" Duo said, still snickering.  
  
"This isn't about me." She wasn't worthy. Not yet. She was getting there though. No need to tell Maxwell that.  
  
"What about your former underlings who seemed to think you deserve to die?"  
  
If it wasn't for the fact that this question dropped the question of the Gundams, Dorothy would have been somewhat distraught. This was a question she didn't really want to answer. But she wanted to talk on the Gundams even less. "They call themselves the Helios Order They most of my original recruits." She had known adding them was a risk, but it was that she had to take back then. "I needed people who were experienced. Who knew warfare and the technology they would be working with. Therefore, I chose my recruits from former Alliance soldiers, former OZ soldiers and even those that had been in White Fang and the Barton Foundation. I told them I needed weapons built and they assumed I was following in my Grandfather's and Treize-sama's daughter's footsteps. When they found out differently, they broke off, stealing a majority of the Centari shuttles. We were able to keep them from the special projects, but they seem to know where we store them again. We'll have to move them before the next attack."  
  
"You moved them before?"  
  
"Three times. Though I figured we had them fooled this time. I moved them back to their original base."  
  
"Sneaky!"  
  
"I'm a sneaky woman."  
  
"I noticed," the braid boy snickered under his breath, and then went serious again, "So most of your remaining people are ones who actually designed and built them?"  
  
"Yes. Almost all the fighters defected."  
  
"And they're the ones who attacked us." Not really a question, more of a conclusion.  
  
"It was a Centari class shuttle that attacked us. I imagine they found out where I was headed. Though since it was your shuttle they attacked... And they did leave us drifting... It could be they were just trying to keep me from the special projects while they commenced their attack. They know that the projects are never deployed without my direct order."  
  
"Hmm..."  
  
Whatever words of unlikely wisdom he had been about to utter ceased before they left his tongue. The door to Dorothy's room slid open, revealing Relena and a guide. The guide, a young girl with short brown hair was Michiko Tanaka. It might have seemed odd that she knew the name of almost all of her people, but she did. Treize-sama had been the same. So had her father.  
  
"What is it, Relena-sama?" Dorothy asked, in an annoyed fashion. Hopefully the people on the base had told her enough so that she wouldn't get a lecture.  
  
There was something off though. Relena's expression was extremely calm and controlled, but also stunned and solemn. And she wasn't lecturing. She wasn't even speaking.  
  
"Relena-sama?"   
  
The dark blonde girl turned towards her guide and told the girl to leave. Michiko's eyes went to Dorothy, waiting until a nod was given before departing.  
  
"What is it?" Duo asked, sitting up.  
  
Relena went to settle down into a chair, focusing her eyes on the blue-eyed pilot. "Trowa contacted me using the companel that was left in the shuttle."  
  
Dorothy's eyes narrowed. Why had her people let Relena speak to him and not contact her first? The question was never uttered.  
  
"Quatre died in surgery."  
  
Silence filled the room. Relena wasn't even looking at her, so no one saw what Dorothy's reaction might have been. Duo's hands clenched into a fist. Once Dorothy was sure that her voice would be steady, she asked, "Has it been announced yet?"  
  
They both looked at her like she'd just said the worst possible thing she could have said, but Relena did answer, "Yes. It's been in the hands of the Colony media for about an hour."  
  
Carefully pushing herself up from the chair, Dorothy added calmly, "We need to move forward with the project. Any help either of you are going to give will be welcome."  
  
"That's all you're going to say??" Duo said in a dumbfounded and angry voice, "Even Heero would react more than that!"  
  
"What do you want me to do!?" Dorothy turned on the braided youth. "Cry!? Throw things!? Tears won't bring him back! And them -- the people under my leadership -- are in jepordy. You may not care what happens to them, but I do!"  
  
She didn't even notice the changes in their expressions.  
  
"He's dead! There's nothing I can do to change that! Getting emotional is use--" her voice stopped mid-yell. There was a salty sting on her lips. Her tongue flicked out to taste it and at first she didn't realize what it was. It'd been so long since the last time she cried. Since Libra, in fact.  
  
Dorothy didn't say another word. She turned around and exited through the sliding door. She thought she heard someone say her name, but the door cut it off.  
  
  
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This wasn't what I intended to happen originally, I don't think, but it fits with the direction I want to go. ~_~ 


End file.
